Daily Dose

Daily Dose of the Dub: Olson returns to Tri-City, Thunderbirds acquire Gottfried and more

Written by Ben Dooley on

Olson returns to Tri-City 

The U.S. division continues to get better as Kyle Olson has returned from Rochester Americans training camp to re-join the Tri-City Americans as their captain for his final season of junior hockey eligibility. The Americans say he’ll be in their lineup when they play host to their U.S. division rival, the Spokane Chiefs, on Saturday.

Thunderbirds acquire Gottfried from Rebels 

The Seattle Thunderbirds have acquired defenseman Ryan Gottfried from the Red Deer Rebels for the rights to defenseman Noah Barlage and a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2022 WHL Bantam Draft. The eighteen-year-old Gottfried has played two games this year for Red Deer and has registered no points. Barlage is a 16-year-old currently playing for the Humboldt Broncos of the SJHL where he’s notched one assist in five games.

To find out what necessitated this trade for the Thunderbirds, our Jesse Kurtti has the details here.

Silvertips send Gibson back to midget 

The Everett Silvertips have sent defenseman Ty Gibson back to the Burnaby Winter Club of the CSSHL. In two games with the Silvertips this year, Gibson did not register a point.

Watson removed from Tigers roster 

The Medicine Hat Tigers have removed seventeen-year-old defenseman Ryan Watson from their active roster. The Delta, British Columbia native had not yet suited up for the Tigers this year. In five games last year, he had no points.

Canadian Hockey League announces weekly power rankings 

The Canadian Hockey League has announced its rankings for the third week of CHL competition. The Portland Winterhawks have climbed into the fourth spot while the Edmonton Oil Kings and Vancouver Giants have fallen into the ninth and 10th spots respectively. Earning honourable mention this week is the Calgary Hitmen and the Prince Albert Raiders.

Milestones around the WHL on Wednesday night 

Congratulations to Koen MacInnes on earning his first WHL win in his first regular-season game with the Saskatoon Blades (interesting to note, he’s already played playoff games with the club.) Seattle Thunderbirds forward Conner Roulette, Kelowna Rockets forward Pavel Novak, Saskatoon Blades forward Jayden Wiens each tallied their first career WHL goals and Edmonton Oil Kings forward Riley Sawchuk played his 200th career game in the WHL.

Rebels players shave heads in support of assistant coach’s fiancee 

We have to mention this incredible story out of Red Deer where every player on the Rebels along with dressing room assistant Mikel McIver, has shaved their heads in support of assistant coach Brad Flynn and his fiancee Christine who is currently dealing with a cancer diagnosis. If you want to read more on this incredible story you can head to the Rebels website or click here.

Cougars announce a 10-year partnership with Pacific Western Transportation 

The Prince George Cougars have announced a 10-year contract with Pacific Western Transportation to be the team’s transportation provider. As part of the agreement, the Cougars will be receiving a new, customized coach bus.

Americans announce eight games to be broadcast on TV 

The Tri-City Americans have announced that eight of their regular-season games will be broadcast on KNDU/SWX throughout the season. Of those eight games, five will emanate from the Toyota Center while three games will take place in the Spokane Arena. The schedule kicks off when the Americans take on the Portland Winterhawks in the annual Teddy Bear Toss game.

127 WHL alumni on opening night rosters 

127 WHL alumni are listed on opening night rosters as the NHL prepares to kick off the 2019-20 season. The Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, and Vegas Golden Knights each boast eight WHL alumni on their opening night rosters while all 31 NHL clubs have at least one WHL alumni on their roster. The Kelowna Rockets have contributed the most alumni to the league this season with 14 while the Portland Winterhawks have added to league-leading 125 alumni to play in the NHL since the team moved to Portland.

Glass scores in NHL debut 

It was a night of firsts for Portland Winterhawks alumnus Cody Glass as he became the first Golden Knights draft pick to play for the organization and the first Golden Knights pick to score a goal for the team.

Coyotes sign Kuemper to a two-year contract extension 

Darcy Kuemper (178 GP with the Red Deer Rebels) has signed a two-year contract extension with the  NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. Kuemper played 55 games with the Coyotes last season posting a 2.33 GAA and .925 save percentage.

IceHogs name Versteeg captain 

Kris Versteeg (264 GP, 62 G, 105 A with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Kamloops Blazers and Red Deer Rebels) has been named the captain of the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.

Sapego in camp with ECHL’s Growlers 

1999-born defenseman Sergei Sapego is listed as being in training camp with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers. Still eligible to return to the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, Sapego signed a contract with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies earlier this summer.

Three Stars of the Night

First Star: Kelowna Rockets forward Nolan Foote had a goal and three assists in a 6-1 win over the Tri-City Americans

Second Star: Registering his first career goal Kelowna Rockets forward Pavel Novak added two assists in a three-point night

Third Star: Kamloops Blazers forward Martin Lang also recorded a goal and two assists in a 8-1 shellacking of the Seattle Thunderbirds

Honourable Mentions:

Kamloops Blazers forwards Orrin Centazzo and Kyrell Sopotyk each had two-goal nights while Edmonton Oil Kings forward Carter Souch also had a two-goal night as his Oil Kings fell to the Swift Current Broncos 4-3.